The Pale King, the first review

Publishers Weekly has what appears to be the first review of David Foster Wallace’s unfinished novel The Pale King (publication date: April 15). I’m awaiting a review copy.

[Pants quietly.]

A Borders executive on Borders

Former Borders executive Mark Evans offers six reasons for Borders’ bankruptcy (via Boing Boing).

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Borders files for bankruptcy

JapanNYC

“If you think of every place where there’s wars going on, where there are terrible times, where people are suffering, they always look to music and culture. These are the things they look to for solace”: Carnegie Hall’s JapanNYC goes on.

Newton Minow, fifty years later

Fifty years after “a vast wasteland,” Newton Minow proposes six goals for the next fifty years of communications technology.

The Smile Sessions, forthcoming

Billboard reports that The Smile Sessions, to be released this year, will appear in three versions: “a two-CD set, an iTunes LP digital album, and a limited-edition boxed set containing four CDs, two vinyl LPs, two vinyl singles, and a 60-page hardbound book written by Beach Boys historian Domenic Priore.” SMiLE, the unfinished Beach Boys album, music by Brian Wilson, lyrics by Van Dyke Parks, began its legendary life in 1966.

It’s looking like a good year for vinyl singles.

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Another SMiLE?

Graphite-grey

Back in August 2010, in a post about California Cedar’s revival of the Blackwing pencil, I wrote:

The old Blackwing has been described as charcoal-grey or smoke-grey, but I prefer to think of it as graphite-grey: the Blackwing has the shiny grey look of pencil lead itself.

Graphite-grey: I was (and am) very happy about hitting upon that phrasal adjective, which, as far as I could tell, had never been applied to the Blackwing pencil.

And now California Cedar has announced plans to produce a pencil that more closely resembles the original Blackwing. Here’s the description: “a replica styling of the original Blackwing graphite grey finish.” I’d prefer seeing the hyphen in graphite-grey. But hey, you’re welcome!

I’ll admit to a decided lack of interest in this replica. It’s not the real thing — and ain’t nothing like the real thing, as Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell taught us. And the “pre-production” fiasco and subsequent subterfuge accompanying the Blackwing revival last year left me feeling pretty sour about throwing any money Cal Cedar’s way. But I’m sure the new Blackwing will find its way to happy writers.

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The new Blackwing pencil

Red Cross (help Japan)

You can donate online, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

ShelterBox (help Japan)

ShelterBox, an international disaster-relief charity affiliated with Rotary, looks like a good choice if you want to do something for Japan: “We have aid pre-positioned locally and a member of the ShelterBox Response Team stationed in the Philippines enabling an immediate response.”

ShelterBox responding to Japanese earthquake and tsunami (ShelterBox)

What an ancient Greek looked like

An eleven-year-old girl (via Coudal).

The Sharpie Liquid Pencil

Stephen at pencil talk has an excellent review of the far-from-excellent Sharpie Liquid Pencil. I bought a few SLPs last year and was utterly disappointed: this pencil, so-called, writes like an uncooperative ball-point pen, skipping and blobbing. Says Stephen, “It is hard to understand how this product was released to market.”

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Liquid graphite pencils